This invention relates to a device for motorically and manually adjusting a second vehicle part relative to a first vehicle part in an adjustment range and to a method for motorically and manually adjusting a second vehicle part.
A generic device includes at least one driving device by means of which the second vehicle part is motorically adjustable in at least one adjustment direction and can be held in an adjustment position within the adjustment range relative to the first vehicle part. The second vehicle part thus is adjustably mounted relative to the first vehicle part and possibly even on this vehicle part itself, wherein for example an electromotive adjustment of the second vehicle part becomes possible via the driving device. The second vehicle part also is held in an adopted adjustment position within the defined adjustment range via the driving device. For example, the driving device therefor blocks the second vehicle part against an adjustment out of the adjustment position. Such a device for example is known for the adjustment of a vehicle door which is articulated to a vehicle body. The vehicle door can be opened and/or closed motorically by means of a door drive. Holding the vehicle door in a partly or completely open adjustment position here usually is effected steplessly via the driving device.
In particular in devices for adjusting vehicle doors it is necessary to permit a manual adjustment in addition to a power-operated adjustment. In vehicle doors, for example, this frequently is solved such that opening of the vehicle door is effected motorically, but when a user then exerts a sufficiently high force on the vehicle door, this is interpreted as operating event and a manual adjustment of the vehicle door is permitted. The driving device now changes from a holding position, in which the vehicle door is held in an adopted adjustment position, into an release position in which a manual adjustment of the vehicle door is permitted within the adjustment range and the driving device no longer blocks the second vehicle part against an adjustment. A generic device for example is known from DE 10 2014 211 138 A1.
In this connection it is known to provide an electronic control device by means of which the driving device is switchable between the holding position and the release position in response to an operating event triggered by a user. Thus, via such an electronic control device the driving device for example can be switched into a release position, when a user pulls or pushes a partly open vehicle door in direction of a closed position with a force exceeding a threshold value.
The usually abruptly occurring free movability of the vehicle door, however, has turned out to be not much appealing for a user. In addition, the abrupt change into the release position involves particular problems over the service life of the device, as here, in particular due to temperature, actuating noises can occur and/or the difference between the blocking effect of the driving device in the holding position and the free movability of the vehicle door in the release position of the driving device is relatively large and for a user the change is effected at an apparently non-predictable time.